Guidelines & Goals Worksheet

You may find it helpful to create a chart to record how the courses in your evolving degree plan address the different guidelines for your area of study. If you are planning a degree with a concentration, limit your chart to the concentration only. If you have important research into sources other than guidelines (e.g., requirements for professional certifications, graduate school, etc.), include those on a chart as well. Creating a chart such as this may be useful as you develop your degree plan and write your rationale essay.

Note that you have a chart for SUNY General Education Requirements in DPPlanner, so you can use that tool to track your general education; however, because concentrations can have a lot of flexibility, you should create your own tracking chart as shown below.

Here is a sample chart for the Community and Human Services area of study which classifies the concentration courses in a degree plan according to the different guidelines for CHS.

CHS Guidelines and Courses (Sample)
Area of Study Guidelines for Community and Human Services Transfer courses and other sources of credit in my degree plan Empire State College courses in my degree plan What did I learn?
Knowledge of Human Behavior Introduction to Psychology Taught me different theoretical approaches to understanding Human Behavior
Abnormal Psychology Differing patterns of behavior
Introduction to Sociology Sociological Theories. How humans interact with environment. Discuss race, ethnicity, gender, socio economical class, etc.
Introduction to Human Services Overview of Human Services as a profession
Theories of Personality Influences on human development; different theoretical lenses through which to view individuals.
Knowledge of Service Delivery Disabled in America Social Policy, Legal Rights, Current Initiatives
Delivering Services Different ways and considerations in delivering services
Skills Group Dynamics Case Management Different techniques to working with groups and maintaining information
Ethics Human Services Ethics How to maintain records ethically; how to deal with complicated ethical issues
Diversity
 Spanish for Health Care Professionals Important basic language use; cultural considerations
Application and Integration Internship 1 and 2 Assisted with program development and case management
Chemical Addictions: Theories Investigation of treatment practices
Counseling Strategies for Addictive Clients How to apply knowledge of individual behavior to particular helping situations

And here’s a chart to help track how you are addressing ESC College Learning Goals

Alignment with ESC College Learning Goals (Sample)
Learning Goal How I am addressing this Goal – add to this on an ongoing basis, and come back to this during my last term
Active Learning In my course in Communications for Professionals, I developed and completed a communication project of my own choosing.  I identified a communication situation, researched it, wrote 3 communications, and created both a web page and a YouTube video to address different audiences for the communications related to that situation.

I intend to do a project-based independent study in web design, related to my interest in conservation and developing my digital and communication skills.

I also plan on doing a learning activity in this educational planning course on active and reflective learning, because this whole concept intrigues me, and I think that I can become a stronger learner with more conscious reflection.
Breadth and Depth of Knowledge I am designing a degree in communications that moves from lower to more advanced-level courses, which creates some depth.  I have 16 advanced-level credits in my concentration right now, and know I will be adding at least 8 more, if not more.  For breadth, the guidelines let me know that I need something in legal and ethical issues in communication, and I don’t have that yet, but will be adding it.  I already have a historical perspective, and will be doing more courses in digital communications.  I am working on this one as I go along and will be adding more here.
Social Responsibility I know that when I take the communication ethics course, this will go into social responsibility.  I also am planning on taking a course in community organizing, which is an interest of mine.
Communication This one is easy – all of my communication courses, plus all of the papers and advanced-level papers I’m writing…
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving I have been honing my critical thinking skills through my research, by learning how to analyze the quality of evidence in sources that I find.  One of my instructors pointed this important step out to me, and I’ve been working on it in all of my courses that require research papers.  Previous to this, I just kind of used anything I googled.
Quantitative Literacy I have taken Algebra, but I plan on taking Statistics as well, since as a professional in communications, I need to know how to interpret and handle statistical information.
Information and Digital Media Literacy I have learned how to use databases to research, using some of the library’s training.  Because i am in communications as a professional, even though I’m in an entry-level position, I am quite digitally literate, since that’s the focus of communications today.